Ruby and I

chapter 22

Clark finally comes home and sets his coat and bag on the rack.

"Ruby? You home?" Clark called out.

He looks over at the living room and the kitchen to find Ruby, but he doesn't see her.

"Probably out with her friends." Clark thought.

He goes to the bedroom to change, only to see Ruby sleeping peacefully with an open notebook next to her. He sees that the notebook had the seating charts for the wedding reception. Clark smiles, only to be guilty of not being there with her. They hadn't seen or said a word to each other all day, and he blamed himself for it. Clark sets her notebook on her side table and gets in bed with Ruby. He holds her in his arms and kisses her forehead making Ruby shift in her sleep and slowly wake up.

"Clark?" Ruby mumbled.

"Hey, baby. Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you up." Clark said.

"That's okay. I was trying to wait up for you. I guess I passed out." Ruby said with a laugh.

"Well, thank you for trying," Clark said.

"You hungry, babe? I can try and whip up something fast." Ruby says before getting out of bed.

"Sure," Clark said.

Ruby goes to the kitchen, followed by Clark, who sits by the kitchen island.

"So...how was the wedding planning?" Clark asked.

"It was good. We discussed flower arrangements and started working on the seating charts." Ruby said.

"That's nice," Clark said.

There was a few seconds of silence until Ruby spoke up. "Uh..how was work?" she asked.

"It was great. I finished some assignments for my boss. He seemed very impressed with my work ethic." Clark said.

"That's good to hear! I'm proud of you!" Ruby praised.

"Thanks. Um...I'm sorry that I miss the meeting with Camila." Clark said.

"Aw, that's okay! I know how much you've been working lately because of this game. I can't wait to see what it looks like!" Ruby said.

As Ruby prepares dinner for them, she thinks about what she will say about last night. Meanwhile, Clark is thinking the same thing. There was another moment of silence, and the tension grew thicker. But eventually, one of them had to say something. Clark comes behind Ruby and hugs her with his head buried in her neck, followed by a sigh.

"I'm sorry," Clark said.

"You already apologized, babe. I said it was okay." Ruby said with a laugh.

"No...I mean, I'm sorry for what happened yesterday. In the playroom. We had a good time, and I completely ruined the mood by having an episode." Clark said.

Ruby turns off the stove to look at Clark and holds his face with her soft hands.

"No, baby. I'm sorry. I never meant to remind you about that terrifying incident with Mandy. I swear I didn't." Ruby said.

Clark can see the sorrow in her eyes. "You mean...you know why I ran out?" he asked.

"Yes. And I am so sorry, Clark. I did not mean to frighten you. I would never do anything to hurt you, and I feel so guilty-"

Clark interrupts. "You didn't hurt me," he said.

"Don't lie, Clark. I know I did." Ruby said.

"No, you didn't. Mandy hurt me. Not you." Clark said.

"It feels like I did. Just seeing you flinch when I went to touch you broke my heart." Ruby said.

"And I probably made you feel worse by not speaking to you. Didn't I?" Clark asked.

"I mean...only a little. But I know you need some space, so I haven't said anything to you." Ruby said.

"That's why? Ruby, you didn't need to distance yourself from me. I know it seemed bad that I left so early and did not leave you a good morning note like I usually do. But maybe I did want you to talk to me first." Clark said.

"You did?" Ruby asked.

"Yes. And I'm letting you know right now that it is not your fault. We always do things like this, and it never went wrong until yesterday. But this does not make me love you any less." Clark said.

"It doesn't?" Ruby asked.

"Absolutely not. And you are not a monster. You are my loving fiancée that deeply cares for me and would never hurt a hair on me. I know you wouldn't." Clark said.

Ruby sheds a few tears when she hears his words of reassurance. He wipes her tears and gives her a soft kiss. "I love you," he said.

"I love you too," Ruby said with a soft smile.

"So you're okay?" Clark asked.

"I should be asking you that," Ruby said.

"Yes, Ruby. I am okay. Don't worry about it. And before you even mention it, I do not want or need therapy." Clark said.

"Why not?" Ruby asked.

"For the sake of our intimacy. I don't wanna keep reliving the past." Clark said.

"What do you mean, 'For the sake of our intimacy?' Ruby asked.

"I don't want this to interfere with our sexual chemistry," Clark said.

"It won't. I know it won't. I just want you to feel like yourself again." Ruby said.

"I do feel like myself after this conversation. This is exactly what I needed." Clark said.

"Are you sure you don't wanna talk to anybody?" Ruby asked.

"I'm sure. I just need you. All that matters is us." Clark said before kissing her once more.

"Okay," Ruby says before hugging him.

"I'm glad we talked about this," Clark said.

"Me too. I was so afraid this was going to ruin our relationship." Ruby said.

"Nothing can ruin our relationship. As long as we got each other. Now let's finish making this dinner." Clark said.

Throughout the night, Ruby felt relieved that they'd talked this out. However, a tiny part of her wanted to help him get through this. She felt that Clark was lying to himself to focus on the future of their relationship. Was Clark really protecting their sexual chemistry over his mental health? This was something that highly concerned Ruby. But of course, she didn't want to keep pushing him to see a therapist, so she left it at that.

Yay! They finally talked to each other! But do you think it'll stop there? Should Clark get therapy, or do you think he really doesn't need it? And what about Ruby? What should she do? Leave it alone or try to help heal Clark?
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Bye!💋